The Maine lobster industry is the gold standard for sustainable fishing, respected worldwide for a century of uncompromised stewardship of the Gulf of Maine. That’s why it’s hard to understand the need for a “legal defense fund.” Why are we considering spending millions on court battles against the regulatory attempt to rescue the North Atlantic Right Whale from extinction? Wouldn’t it be better if the millions raised for lengthy litigation were invested in manufacturing and providing the lobster fleet with the gear required to comply with the regulations?
It’s true that there’s no proof that Maine lobster gear causes whale death by entanglement. But isn’t tagged breakaway gear a good way to ensure that it doesn’t? I know it’s not the intention of the proposed Legal Defense Fund, but it does seem like we’re fighting for the freedom to lay the trapline that kills the last Right Whale, finishing off a species that managed to survive 30 million years on Earth. This is not a good look for Maine.
Can’t we spend our money on the heroic and historic act of giving the North Atlantic Right Whale one final shot at survival? That’s a defense fund I would generously, and gratefully, support.
Lisa Wilson
Yarmouth
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